The document summarizes a lecture on the Landscape school of human geography and concepts of spatial analysis. It discusses key ideas from the Landscape school, including Sauer's focus on how cultural activities create distinct landscapes through time. It also reviews factors that shape natural and cultural landscapes, and how the landscape approach has evolved with less emphasis on determinism and a more holistic view. Spatial analysis is introduced as a parallel approach using quantitative methods to study relationships between physical and human geographic patterns.
Introduction to Multilingual Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)
Geo2630 fall2013 session4
1. Session 4: The Landscape school: Details, challenges,
and transitions
September 17, 2013
Tablelands,
South Africa
Norton, W. (2005). Cultural Geography: Environments, Landscapes, Identities, and
Inequalities. Oxford University Press, Don Mills.
Readings: Chapter 2 of Norton – The Landscape School; Towards
Holistic Emphasis; Chapter 3 – Spatial Analysis
1) Humans use of nature: Parks
2) Lecture: The Landscape school of human geography
1) Holistic emphasis
2) Intro to concepts of spatial analysis
2. Concept: “Wicked problems”
‘wicked problems’: contentious, highly complex, and characterized
by indeterminacy (Rittel and Webber, 1973).
Such problems are not easily resolved through conventional
methods of inquiry.
‘Wicked problems’ require researchers to bring together
disciplines to develop transdisciplinary understandings and work
creatively to understand ‘real-world’ multi-dimensional problems
(Buchanan, 1992; Coyne, 2005).
References:
Buchanan, R. (1992). Wicked problems in design thinking. Design issues, 8(2), 5-21.
Coyne, R. (2005). Wicked problems revisited. Design studies, 26(1), 5-17.
Rittel, H. W., & Webber, M. M. (1973). Dilemmas in general theory of planning. Policy
Science, 4, 155-169.
3. Human Use of Nature
“Use” – is a concept, social construct, and loaded term
“dominion” over “nature” and “others” has deeply affected the
Example: the concept of conservation and protected areas
significant shifts in policy and the way “protection” is modeled
however much of the same continues
Images: National Geographic
4. Long history of colonization by the
British – deemed them
incompatible with nature
separation of humans and nature
Parks established without the prior
consent of the Maasai
The International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
played a major role in this.
“It is we Maasai who have preserved this priceless heritage in our land. We were sharing
it with the wild animals long before the arrival of those who use game only as a means of
making money. So please do not tell us that we must be pushed off our land for the
financial convenience of commercial hunters and hotel-keepers. Nor tell us that we must
live only by the rules and regulations of zoologists…If Uhuru (independence) means
anything at all, it means that we are to be treated like humans, not animals" (Amin, 181).
Source: Julie Narimatsu, http://www.umich.edu/~snre492/Jones/maasai.htm#Problem
5. *Language can be very telling
in determining the ‘nature’ –
human relationship worldview
*compare to previous quote
6. World conservation paradigm
Shifting towards acknowledging that people are part of nature
in policy and the passing of motions
through specialized commissions
CEESP: Commission for Environmental, Economic and Social Policy
WCPA: World Commission on Protected Areas
Promote the TILCEPA working group: Theme on Indigenous Peoples,
Local Communities, Equity and Protected Areas
“...concerned with the social
aspects of Protected Areas.
Particular attention is given to
the participation, rights, values,
livelihoods and contributions of
indigenous peoples and local
communities living in or affected
by Protected Areas"
7. Ways of including communities in ‘resource’ management
Different models for co-management
CS
S C
S: State; C: Community
Source: Carlsson& Berkes, 2005
1. Co-management as an
exchange system
i.e. exchange of information,
goods and service; separate
spheres of dominance
2. Co-management as a
joint organization
i.e. joint decision making,
boarders between sectors are
blurred
8. Ways of including communities in ‘resource’ management
Different models for co-management
S C
C S
S: State; C: Community
Source: Carlsson& Berkes, 2005
3. Co-management as
State-nested system
e.g. Provincial forests in
Canada
4. Co-management as a
community-nested system
e.g. privately owned grazing
lands
*3 & 4 are mostly what we see in Canada
9. New item / thought provoking item of the day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05eIN02x26Q
Sharing Our Histories: The Keeseekoowenin Ojibway.
Riding Mountain
Produced by: Parks Canada in association with Riding Mountain
National Park of Canada and Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation
Sharing Lodge / Interpretive Centre
10. ‘The cultural landscape is fashioned from
a natural landscape by a culture group.
Culture is the agent, the natural area is
the medium, the cultural landscape the
result.
Under the influence of a given
culture, itself changing through time, the
landscape undergoes development,
passing through phases, and probably
reaching ultimately the end of its cycle
of development.’ – Carl Sauer
The Landscape school
12. Sauer’s key ideas leading to 3 major themes
1) Ecological component: Cultural landscapes result from occupance of
a physical landscape
2) Evolutionary component: Cultural landscapes change through time
3) Regional or cultural component: Cultural activities result in the
creation of a relatively distinct cultural landscape
15. *Imagining landscapes through art
maps – the work of Miriam Rudolph
superorganic - mechanist and determinist way of thinking
independent from individuals of a society
Comte & Spencer - society as an integrated entity , comparable to a
physical system and entirely determining the behaviour of the people
within it (Norton, 2005, p.60)
Understanding the superorganic through art
Kroeber – non-organic human product of
societies, cultural institutions, modes of
production, and levels of technology
(Norton, 2005, p.60)
More scholarly interpretations pgs. 60-61
16. Manitoba I – Highway 75 (29X49 cm), by Miriam Rudolph
17. Manitoba II – Flax and Canola Fields (29X49 cm), by Miriam Rudolph
18. Manitoba III – Pembina Hills and Hay Bales (29X49 cm), by Miriam Rudolph
19. “The map-like structure of my paintings
allows me to build up a narrative of
different experiences simultaneously.”
- Miriam Rudolph
20. Photo: Montana Department of Environment
Revisions of the landscape approach
Subtle revisions prior to the 1970s:
1) decreased emphasis on the evolution component
2) diminishing emphasis on maintaining the regional focus &
increased emphasis on the visible landscape
3) close integration of historical and cultural analysis
4) decreasing emphasis on
culture as cause
*rejection of
superorganic(cultural
elements independent of
individual members of society)
– maintained a focus on the
physical landscape
21. Towards holistic emphasis
Greek and Christian notions of holism: included notions of both
ranking of living things and unity of all living things
Geographical thought (Renaissance to 1800): Leading scholars (Hutton
& Lamarck) conceived of humans as being a part of nature
19th Century, Humbolt and Ritter made the greatest contributions
* Earth as an organic whole: “land affects the inhabitants
and the inhabitants affect land”
Ecological emphasis: “organisms in their homes” – rejected the
separation of humans and nature & avoided the reductionist
perspective
*Things cannot be studied out of their context &
interrelationships of all kinds are important
24. Evolutionary Naturalism
Naturalism: cause and effect
Pillars
of science +
Evolution: all things are connected
Dualism2 currents of thought in the Western word:
sacred & secular
Encourages the study of human institutions using the procedures used
in the sciences
Based on:
25. Source: Norton 2005, Table 3.1, pg. 70
Spatial analysis – outside of the cultural geo sub-discipline
(relating to scientific laws)(relating to individual regions)
Running in parallel with the landscape school...
26. The influence of science in geography...spatial analysis
Spatial analysis is based on generalizations
Directed towards physical and economic geography
Cultural geography is based on particularities of culture and space
Quantitative and Qualitative differences in approaches to questions:
Different kinds of questions require different kinds of approaches!
Quantitative approaches can only answer the causality (“why”) of some
questions.
e.g. prevalence of lead poisoning, settlements, and migration related to
watershed contamination due to mineral extraction
